Introduction to Design Thinking Methodology

Design Thinking Methodology is a non-linear, iterative problem-solving process that helps teams to understand their users better, challenge assumptions, redefine challenges, and develop and test novel solutions. The methodology consists of five valuable processes: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. Empathy is the key to human-centered design, allowing teams to put their worldview aside and gain insight into consumers' needs. The define stage involves synthesizing findings and defining the fundamental issues uncovered during the empathy stage. Brainstorming for creative solutions is done during the ideate stage. The prototyping stage involves conducting a trial period to find a good solution to each problem by creating prototypes. Lastly, testing the prototypes rigorously is done in the test stage. Rather than being consecutive, these stages represent diverse modalities contributing to the overall design effort.